Turning to our two basketball heads to determine Snaer's spot in the NBA

Jun. 26, 2013

Photo illustration by Perry Kostidakis

Quin Lemieux, Contributing Writer // @q1014

2013 is not the year for Michael Snaer. On paper Snaer is a 6í5Ē, long shooting guard with great defensive tenacity, instincts and clutch touch in crunch time. Those attributes alone in most drafts would make you a surefire second round pick every year.

2013 isnít most drafts.

By most major mock drafts Michael Snaer will go undrafted this year; itís not because he canít play a role in an NBA lineup (he absolutely can), the problem is that the teams that would value him donít match up with his draft stock. Snaer would be best served on a veteran team which features multiple scoring threats which would allow him to focus on his signature defense and give him time to develop an NBA worthy offensive game. Snaer should fall to the last 15 picks and herein lies the problem for SnaerĖthe teams picking here are not as described above. The teams that would make sense would have to either take him too early over arguably better and more polished players or would draft him into an unbreakable rotation of 2-guards. So where does that leave Snaer?

Snaer, if drafted, will fall to the San Antonio Spurs at pick No. 58. The Spurs have a plethora of talented guards, but with the questions an aging Manu Ginobili has raised, coupled with the fact that Coach Gregg Popovich loves athletic, hard nosed, defensive-oriented guards with a soft shooting touch, this pick makes sense for the Spurs. A pick here will allow Snaer to develop a more well-rounded game under some of the best coaching in the NBA, and will allow the Spurs to get a player with great intangibles who fits the system but doesnít have to contribute right away.

Snaer getting drafted is hopeful. Itís not crazy, itís just hard to argue for off-guards in this draft because theyíre not in high demand, especially this low in the draft. A more realistic possibility for Snaer is to go undrafted and get picked up by a more fitting team who doesnít have a low pick in this draft and have him spend time in the Development League.

Snaer is a quality basketball player who will play in the NBA while contributing a valuable role he would join. Any other year his value would go unquestioned but 2013 is not most years.

David Walker, Staff Writer // @JDavidWalker

Before asking which team would be the best fit for Michael Snaer, you first must ask whether he will make it to the NBA at all. It is far from a sure thing, after all, and in the case that it does happen it will most likely be at the tail end of the second round, a place where renouncing draftees to save roster spots and/or cash is a frequent occurrence. This may seem a little shocking to the Florida State faithful: those who have watched him carry the íNoles these past two seasons and have been witness to his most cold-blooded moments of slaughtering ACC opponents. But in a pool of talent that has reached a global scale, Snaer is just one of many and is susceptible to getting lost in the crowd.

Now this particular not-so-unbiased writer thinks that there is a place for Snaer in the league, the problem is proving that to other teams. Snaer was a solid, if not slightly inefficient, offensive player by the time he wrapped up his senior year but not many of his offensive skills translate well to the next level. He isnít particularly a creative scorer off the dribble and his mid-range game is adequate at best.

He got to the basket at a decent rate and drew free throws at an even better one but shooting only 62 percent at the rim in college is a worrying sign given the massive uptick in size and talent of rim protectors in the NBA. His pick-and-roll game is unrefined, developed in an offense that rarely called for it to be utilized, and in a pick-and-roll league this is an attribute that is frequently called upon. His saving grace on offense is his three point shooting. He shot a very solid 39.4 percent on the hefty sample size of 330 shots over the past two seasons.

Unfortunately for Snaer his greatest strength, defense, is diluted by what may be his biggest ďweaknessĒ, size (or a lack of it). Perimeter defenders in the NBA are valued by their positional flexibility more than anything, the best of them can alternate between guarding the opposing point guard and smaller power forward on consecutive possessions. Snaer, for all his hounding defensive prowess, would struggle matching up with bigger guards, let alone a power forward.

All that said, there will always be a place in the league for three point shooters who are not complete liabilities on the other end. If Snaer puts the work in (and on that I have no doubt) to become a three point specialist along with his ability to contain opposing points, he will have a job for a long time.

As to which team would provide him the best path to fully realize this potential, the Spurs come to mind almost immediately. Their track record of patience with work-in-progress players is unparalleled and no other team has done a better job of consistently turning projects into contributors. Snaer as a Spur contains so many exciting possibilities, the greatest of which is him bringing the corn-rows back in an attempt to complete his transformation into Kawhi Leonardís mini-me. For that possibility alone, I am rooting for this match made in basketball heaven.